"Willowgrove has allowed me the opportunity to discover qualities about myself I had not yet realized, and has equipped me with the knowledge to handle situations in my daily life with patience and an open mind

Jessica - Staff

Camp Standards

At Willowgrove Day Camp, we operate under the following guidelines in order to ensure a safe and healthy camp and work environment.

OCA Standards

Willowgrove is an accredited member of the Ontario Camps Association, an organization responsible for setting industry standards and guidelines for the safe operation of camp programs. As a member of the OCA, Willowgrove is required to follow hundreds of guidelines that cover every aspect of the camp program - including administration, health care, food production, activity instruction, hiring guidelines, and more.

Willowgrove Policies

In addition to following the OCA standards and guidelines, Willowgrove has its own set of operating standards that often exceed the OCA standards. Willowgrove has protocols and procedures in the areas of Health and Safety, Workplace Violence, Social Media and Accessibility.

Staff Hiring Protocols

Summer staff submit an application with references and are screened through an interview process. All staff and volunteers are required to submit a Vulnerable Sector Check and must agree to the Willowgrove Day Camp Staff Conduct Agreement. Summer staff must be a minimum of 16 years old as of December 31, 2020 and many staff are university age.

Counsellor to Camper Ratios

Campers are supervised by counsellors at a ratio set by Willowgrove that is above and beyond the industry standard. To see what your child’s ratio would be, please read below. These ratios are not taking into account all of our Program, Support, Office or Maintenance staff that are also on property throughout the day.

1:5 for Primary campers (age 4 - 5)

1:7 for Junior Campers (age 6 - 7)

1:8 for Intermediate and Sophomore campers (age 8 - 11)

1:10 for Senior campers (age 12 - 13)

Health Care and Medications

A key component of our care for the campers comes from our health care team. Our Health Care Coordinator is based out of our Health Centre and oversees all health care for campers and staff. The Health Centre is stocked with first aid supplies and over-the-counter medications. Prescription medications needed while at camp are collected and securely stored by the health care team and kept during the camper’s stay, to be dispensed as needed. Our Aquatics team are trained in Standard First Aid and CPR, and many of our regular staff have first aid qualifications.

Aquatics

Our Aquatic staff have earned their National Lifesaving Society (NLS) qualifications and regularly participate in emergency response training with the Waterfront Coordinator.

In compliance with the closure of all non-essential businesses, the Willowgrove office will be closed until further notice. These measures are being made in solidarity with province-wide efforts to minimize the spread of novel COVID-19.

All Willowgrove staff will be working remotely while the office is closed. While we will not be available to take any calls, we encourage anyone who would like to contact us to do so through email. If you are unsure who the best person is to contact, please email info@willowgrove.ca and your email will be directed to the correct person.